CMS moving quickly to rehire some laid off staff

Charlotte-Mecklenburg School officials say some laid off teachers and other teaching-related staffers have already received calls to come back to the district. WFAE's Simone Orendain reports: The first day of school is in less than two weeks and CMS is on a short timeline to fill 286 positions that the district is restoring. With the state budget in place, the district calculates it will have about $20 million more than it planned for in an already reduced budget. Superintendent Peter Gorman says teachers, social workers, counselors and others are being recalled. He says he advised principals to keep an eye on last night's school board meeting. "Let's make sure that the board goes along and supports what we have brought to them. And then after that point in time, 'Go!'" he says. "I believe that this morning before 8:00 principals have had conversations with teachers about refilling positions." The jobs are not guaranteed to go to people who formerly held them. And Gorman says principals who want to move quickly and rehire former workers are encouraged to take who they think would do best. Altogether the district laid off 742 people who held teaching and teaching support jobs in the early summer.